Earlier this week Steve Barnes, the Times Union's restaurant columnist and author of the Table Hopping blog, wrote about the proposal from U.S. safety officials to reduce the decade-old benchmark for determining when a driver is legally drunk from .08 to .05.

The post received more than 100 comments with readers divided between the idea that this is sensible because it saves lives (about 10,000 are claimed in alcohol-related crashes each year) and others who feel the move is an example of nanny state government intrusion. Select comments are below. Read them all at blog.timesunion.com/TableHopping.

This is going to cause the DWI rate to go up. .05 is absurdly low. I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to bet there are more deaths from texting and driving.

—Joe

They don't exactly provide many statistics behind the numbers. Are there currently 500 to 800 car accident deaths above the normal expected rate for people that are between .05 and .07? I find that hard to believe but, if so, then they should drop it. If they are simply estimating that 500 to 800 on the basis people who are .08 or higher will be less likely to drive if the standard was .05 than .08 then that is a much more dicey estimate.

—$cott

Good news. .08 is equivalent to four drinks in your system and with that amount there is no way that anyone can drive safely. I have driven in downtown Albany, sober, at two in the morning and it is shocking what you see with other drivers. Anyone who is responsible shouldn't fret over a reduction to .05 since it won't apply to them.

—Sean

Doing without to live

The Times Union's Alysia Santo had a story Thursday about the cost of her life-saving cancer drugs. She was 24 when diagnosed with the rare, but treatable, chronic myelogenous leukemia. She soon learned the drugs she'd need would cost about $8,500 a month. Her story quickly spread throughout social media.

Alysia has been fortunate that she has not had to go without. She receives the drugs for free from the company that makes it, Novartis, as part of their patient assistance program, but not every patient is that fortunate.

We asked readers what they'd give up to afford necessary drugs.

Sell all my personal belongings other than the absolute necessities (67 percent)

Give up my home/move in with family or friends (57 percent)

Work two, or three, jobs (57 percent

Sell my car/cars (47 percent)

Do anything, even if it was illegal (sell drugs, prostitution, etc.) (27 percent)